Background
William Golding was raised during World War I, also known as...
What was the "Great War"/"The War to End all Wars"?
This character is aggressive throughout the novel, constantly vies for power, and acts like a dictator when in charge.
Who is Jack?
Literary term for when an event hints at another future event.
What is foreshadowing?
The murdering of the sow acts a major development with regard to this theme.
What is civilization/savagery?
This symbol represents order and democracy. It is used to call meetings and acts as a "talking stick".
What is the conch shell?
These European philosophers contributed to Golding's evolving beliefs about human nature.
Who were Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes, and/or John Locke?
This character is smart, but doesn't always make the right choices. He is very conscious of the group's need for a signal fire and, at times, serves a maternal role for the boys on the island.
Who is Ralph?
Literary term for a comparison between two unlike thinks without using "like" or "as".
What is a metaphor?
Ralph behaves this way towards the end of the novel as he is being hunted. This is a strong departure from his normal behavior.
Savage
This symbol represents rational thinking and knowledge; it is destroyed near the end of the novel
What are Piggy's glasses?
William Golding's job during WWII, where he gained firsthand experience of humanity's cruelty.
What is a Naval officer?
This character is consistently kind, fearless, and functions symbolically as a Christ-like figure.
Who is Simon?
Literary term that describes when an object represents a larger idea.
What is symbolism?
This location is closely tied with religion and savagery. One character spends more of his time here than anyone else.
Simon's hiding spot (also where the pig's head gets put on the stake)
This symbol often foreshadows future events or is used to describe the oppressive nature of the island, particularly for Ralph.
What is the weather?
William Golding's favorite book as a child, also about an island. Lord of the Flies is a "response" to this novel
What is Coral Island?
This character is used as a prop to reenact the hunt of a pig; this reenactment quickly gets out of control and he is nearly severely injured
Who is Robert?
Literary term for a recurrent object that is used to demonstrate growth or change.
What is a motif?
Explain how the motif of "rocks" is used to explore themes of savagery and power.
What are: Roger throws stones near Percival, Roger feels "power" with pebbles while standing above Ralph/Piggy at Castle Rock, the murder of Piggy?
This symbol represents the boys' fear of the unknown.
What is "the Beast"?
A theoretical world where there is no government to regulate behavior or rules that people must adhere to.
What is the "state of nature"?
This character dies when the boys' first attempt at building a fire goes awry.
Who is the boy with the mulberry-colored birthmark?
Literary term for a reference to a historical event or other literary work. The most common references are the Bible and Shakespeare.
What is an allusion?
This theme is strongly supported by the novel's conclusion; the boys on the beach are left crying as they get rescued by the naval officers.
What is "loss of innocence"?
These examples from the book connect to the religious undercurrents in the story.
What are Beelzebub, Simon, the island (Garden of Eden), the Beast (first described as a snake), luminescent sea creatures?